Author's Note: Hey everyone! Once again, it's been a while. I've been busy teaching and doing state testing for my students, UGH! I've also just started my Masters Degree, however, I still plan to update as much as possible. I just want to spotlight and thank my lovely reviewers. I cannot stress how much I love seeing your comments, speculations, and feedback on the chapters. I put in a lot of work to make these stories as interesting as possible. So thank you to, Ivy Ronin, Grey-Chan Fallen, CrimsonLove16, RisingZero1984, Pirilaxa, and Firegirl19, you all the M. ! Now, onto the next chapter!
•~•
The next day, Knuckles and Rouge were escorted out of the Witness Protection headquarters after demanding to be released. Under the law, they had no right to be held in such a facility against their will and were allowed to leave after finishing their questioning. Knuckles kept one arm around Rouge as they walked down the long halls together. Agent Blaze and Nicole walked on either side of the couple as they were escorted to the front of the building together. "You're making a big mistake here, Knuckles. You know I can't protect you when you walk out those doors," she warned.
Knuckles glanced over at the cat. "I can keep myself safe," he mumbled.
"What about your wife? Can you keep her safe?" Blaze challenged.
The white bat glared at the cat beside her. "Of course, he can!" Rouge chimed in. "Stop trying to use scare tactics to keep us here. It won't work."
"You do realize that your M.C believes you're the one that ratted out Manic. They won't believe you," she added.
"They're my family. They HAVE to believe me," Knuckles emphasized. "Now, leave us the hell alone!"
Blaze and Nicole stopped just before the entrance of the building. They watched as the couple left the building and headed straight for the parking lot.
Blaze glanced over to her assistant. "You planted them, correct?"
Nicole nodded. "Yes, ma'am. Their phones have been bugged."
"Good," Blaze smiled sinisterly.
•~•
Back at the house, Mephiles sat on the couch watching TV with Shadow and Mighty. However, Gadget came running into the living room after making a startling discovery. Locke came out of the kitchen holding a plate with a sandwich in one hand just as he overheard the young wolf's claim. "Sir, you're going to want to see this!" Everyone glanced at the frantic red wolf as he walked further into the room.
"What is it, Rookie?" Mephiles glanced over to the red wolf and watched as he hurried over with a laptop in hand. Locke quickly placed his plate down at the dining room table and ambled over to get in on the conversation.
Both Mighty and Shadow rose from their seats to get a better look just as Locke joined from behind them. Gadget handed the laptop over to the dark hedgehog president. "As you can see here," he said, pointing to the screen. "I've been monitoring both Knuckles and Rouge's financial accounts. Both of them received deposits in their accounts. Money was wired from G.U.N and has cleared all debts they've held for the past couple of years," he informed.
"…Of course they did," Mephiles sighed, fearing the worst.
"Nah, I don't believe this horse shit. Knuckles is no rat!" Locke exclaimed.
"This has to be a scam. Perhaps this is what the feds want us to think," Shadow deduced.
Locke nodded and looked in Shadow's direction. "Exactly!" he agreed.
Mephiles, on the other hand, wasn't as forgiving. "You heard Knuckles the other night. He was not confident about the idea of murder for hire. He's trying to cover his ass now that he's been caught."
"He's innocent until proven guilty. We'll have a meeting until we reach our conclusions," Locke argued. "And if you have a problem with having a fair meeting, then you have a problem with me!" he threatened, holding up a clenched fist towards Mephiles' face.
Mighty's cellphone rang during the heated conversation, and he quickly left the room to answer it.
Mephiles rolled his eyes at his threat. "Locke, I intend to have a fair hearing for your son. Now lower your fist out of my face before I destroy you," he warned coldly, without batting an eye.
Locke obeyed and dropped his fist, and took a step back. "You better…" He walked out of the room afterward.
"Come on, brother, you have to have more faith in him!" Shadow barked. "I understand why Locke is getting so visibly upset."
In the meantime, Mephiles handed the laptop back to Gadget. "Believe me, I'm trying, but it's becoming harder and harder to do so with this evidence presented before me," he justified.
Just then, Mighty re-entered the living room. "Sorry to interrupt, guys, but I just got info that Knux and Rouge have been released. They're heading back home as we speak."
Shadow turned to look away from the armadillo and towards his brother. "We give him a fair chance to explain everything to us," Shadow commanded calmly.
Mephiles rose from his seat and glanced at the clock. "Yes, yes, of course. Now, I have a meeting with Manic's lawyer. I'll be back in twenty minutes after I gain some intel."
•~•
Later, Mephiles and a male Zebra named Zed walked down the sidewalk together in the neighborhood after getting some ice cream from a local ice cream vendor. With the sound of the ice cream truck's iconic melody looming in the background, the two strolled back towards their parked vehicles off the side of the road.
Mephiles put a scoop of his ice cream in his mouth with the small spoon. "So, what do we know so far then?"
Zed continued to walk with him. "Well, the feds won't disclose any information on this witness, but I know that when I talked to Manic, he claims that Blaze knows there was a third guy involved in this hit."
Mephiles seemed surprised. "You're saying she knows Gadget was involved too?"
"Yeah," Zed confirmed. "Manic told me that anyone who saw him could have never I.D'd Gadget since he was in the car."
The dark hedgehog's hand crushed the empty carton of ice cream he had finished. "Only one other person could've known Gadget was there," Mephiles grumbled, suddenly realizing.
Zed nodded, agreeing with his theory. "Yeah, that's my guess, too. Maybe Knuckles is turning on you guys after all."
The two stopped just in front of their parked vehicles near the sidewalk. "Why the hell are they releasing Knuckles then? It doesn't make any sense."
Zed mulled in thought. "Well, if I were to guess, I'd say that Knuckles is trying to make a cozy deal. He may need more evidence to get witness protection."
Mephiles tossed his trash into a nearby garbage can. "You think they're going to wire him?"
"If he gets anyone, specifically Gadget, to talk about the alleged Amadeus killing, it's locked," Zed confirmed.
"…Fuck," Mephiles muttered, seeing the severity.
•~•
Once returning home, Mephiles spotted Gadget lingering outside the mechanic shop watering the pavement to clean up any left-over oil residue. "Rookie," he called as he approached him.
Gadget rushed over and shut off the hose just as Mephiles neared him. "Yes, sir?"
He glanced at his watch momentarily. "Knuckles should be back any moment now. I'll need you to do a few things for me."
"Of course, sir, anything," he nodded eagerly.
"When Rouge and Knuckles return, I'll need you to do a wire and bug check for me. Do it discreetly as possible, and do not alarm them of your snooping. Report to me of your findings afterward."
Gadget nodded seriously, understanding the explicit instructions. "Understood, sir."
•~•
Soon enough, Knuckles and Rouge were dropped off by a taxi. The couple entered the house, where the rest of their family greeted them. Shadow patted Knuckles on the back in exchange for a welcome. "Welcome home."
"Thanks," Knuckles smiled, patting him back in return.
Knuckles repeated this action with the rest of the guys, smiling at them, happy to be back in their presence. Locke opened both of his arms, and Knuckles embraced his father just as he did in return. "Dad," Knuckles smiled.
"I was worried about you, son."
"You don't have to anymore; I'm fine," he assured as he pulled out of his embrace.
Amy welcomed Rouge's return with a big hug that she appreciated. "I'm so happy to see you home again," she exclaimed.
"Likewise, I thought I'd never get back," Rouge laughed lightly.
Gadget watched as Rouge took off her jacket and draped it on the coat rack by the front door. She then plugged her phone into the charging station on the table by the entryway.
Mephiles clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention. "Time for a meeting; let's head to the dining room," he announced. All the boys headed for the living room together.
Rouge glanced at Amy and gestured towards the stairs. "Let's go to my room. I'll tell you everything that happened." Amy nodded and followed the white bat upstairs to give the guys privacy during their meeting.
Gadget followed after the others and quickly grabbed the basket in the kitchen. He returned to the dining room, holding out the basket in front of him. "Phones, phone collection!" he called, reminding everyone of the protocol.
The basket was passed around, and everyone placed their cellular devices into the basket. Gadget was handed the basket back with all the phones and brought them into the kitchen for keepsake. While in the kitchen alone, he proceeded with his assignment Mephiles had given him earlier. He whipped out a TSCM (Technical Surveillance Counter-Measures device) and picked out Knuckle's cellphone. He waved the device over the phone and watched for the light to change colors. Its original green light suddenly turned red. He paused the device over the back of the phone before quickly opening up the back and finding a bug inside the phone. Frowning from the discovery, he removed the bug and crushed it in his hand, destroying it.
Walking past the meeting and through the living room, Gadget headed for the house entrance to check out Rouge's phone. Shadow watched curiously as the red wolf hurriedly rushed for the front door. He could only wonder what he was up to but focused back on the meeting at hand. Sitting around the table again, Mephiles cleared his throat. "Thank you for returning so soon," Mephiles began. "We appreciate your time."
"It shows that he's not a rat," Locke mumbled.
Knuckles glanced over to his old man. Was it true, like Agent Blaze had said? Did the group already lose trust in him from this staged attempt? "Dad…"
Near the entrance, Gadget spotted another cellphone plugged in by Rouges'. It must've been Amy's. He took his TSCM and hovered them over both phones, starting with Amy's. When he approached the device over hers, the lights on the TSCM remained green. However, the moment he glided the device over Rouge's phone, the lights turned red. Frowning again by the grave discovery, Gadget quickly dissembled the back and found an identical bug to what he had seen in Knuckle's phone. He took it out and destroyed it as well.
Everyone was looking at Knuckles to hear his explanation back in the dining room. "Look, I know how this appears—that agent set me up to look like a rat. It's all a lie," Knuckles avowed. "I don't know who the witness is, but it isn't me."
"What exactly happened, Knuckles?" Shadow questioned.
"She tried to turn Rouge against me and offered her some big payment to clear her debt," he explained with a scoff. "What a joke…."
While Knuckles went on a tirade of his explanation, Gadget kept the TSCM hidden in his pocket from the others and made his way over to Knuckles. He walked behind Knuckles, looked at Mephiles, and gave him a curt nod and cough. This signaled to him that Knuckles was confirmed to be bugged.
However, Shadow had spotted the subtle signal and eyed Gadget and his brother suspiciously. What exactly were those two up to anyway? His thought process on the matter shifted when Knuckle's voice cut him out of his rumination.
"—Thankfully, Rouge isn't stupid," Knuckles continued. "She turned it down straight away and kept her mouth shut," he added. "Everything you've seen that may have turned your belief in me into doubt was that agent trying to turn you guys against me."
Mephiles couldn't allow Knuckles to know he was onto him. So, he proceeded to put his best acting forward. "You're a good person, Knuckles," he stated. "You did well."
"Does that mean I'm good with you and the rest of the M.C?" Knuckles inquired cautiously.
Mephiles nodded. "Yes," he confirmed. "We're all good here." With that, he grabbed his gavel, slammed it down, and ended the meeting. Mighty walked over and gave Knuckles another brotherly hug. Everyone rose from their seats, happy about the good news.
Locke smirked triumphantly at the president. "See, told you," he said before walking off. After returning all the phones, Gadget turned his head towards the president and stared in his direction. While waiting for everyone to clear the room, Mephiles instructed Gadget to follow him into another room with a head nod. When the coast was clear, the two slipped off and went upstairs together.
Once they were in Mephiles' bedroom, the dark striped hedgehog turned to look at the wolf. "What did you find then?" he asked lowly.
"His phone was wired, sir," Gadget explained. "But I destroyed it."
"…I see," he sighed. "What about Rouge?"
"She was wired too—same deal, however. I killed the bug there as well," he answered.
Mephiles shook his head in disappointment from the betrayal. "Chaos…"
Suddenly, Mephiles' bedroom door opened, and Shadow entered the room and eyed the two of them suspiciously. He could hear them having a private conversation as he approached the bedroom door. However, the two kept their voices low enough so he couldn't make anything out. "What's going on here?"
"Oh, nothing, I was just filling Rookie in with everything he missed," he replied calmly.
"Yeah, thanks for that, sir," Gadget said before casually walking around Shadow and leaving the bedroom.
Shadow closed the door behind him and turned to look at his elder brother. "Everything Knuckles said earlier—you believe him, right..?"
Mephiles walked towards his bedroom door. "Of course, brother," he lied. "I love Knuckles too, you know."
Shadow watched as his brother opened his door, gesturing for him to leave now. Shadow stared at him for a long moment before surrendering. "All right…" Shadow escorted himself out. "See you later then."
Once he closed the door again, Mephiles pulled out his cellphone and searched through his contacts. As he went down the list, the selection tool hovered over the name "Zero." There was a pause as Mephiles considered calling him to complete this task. However, involving himself with that psycho again made him grumble in annoyance. Zero may have been good at his skill set, but he could find other people to hire. He ended up on a different name and quickly dialed. Mephiles waited for the other line to pick up, however. He didn't bother to wait to listen to their voice once he heard the line pick up. "I've got an assignment for you. Hopefully, Finitevus doesn't have you too busy right now…."
"Not at all," the male voice responded. "Why, what's up?"
"I have a rather messy assignment I'm going to need your help with. I can't involve my guys with it—it's too personal. They wouldn't understand," he explained. "Unfortunately, it's for the best."
He heard a small chuckle before the other voice said, "Sounds fun."
•~•
Meanwhile, at the police station later that evening, Nicole walked into Agent Blaze's temporary-makeshift office. She watched as her superior sat behind the desk and typed away on the computer. "Oh, sorry to interrupt you, ma'am, but we're not getting anything from the bugs on the phones," she informed regretfully.
Blaze halted her typing as she considered a theory behind it. "I'm guessing Mephiles or one of the others must have found them," she surmised dismissively.
Nicole seemed alarmed that Blaze's tone wasn't as worried as she had expected it to be. "You're…you're not concerned, ma'am?"
Blaze shrugged nonchalantly and turned around in her computer chair to face her assistant. "The pre-trial for Amadeus' murder starts in two days, which means the witness's name will finally be released. The Brothers will soon realize that Knuckles wasn't the snitch after all. Instead, we will start making our case to tie him to Amadeus' killing. All we must do is keep Knuckles-"
"—I know she's here. I want to see her!" an aggressive and agitated male voice said from the halls.
Both Blaze and Nicole turned to look at the cracked open office door, where they saw Mephiles making his way towards them. Silver was in quick pursuit of him, trying to prevent him from bursting in and disturbing Blaze's work. "Hey, get back here!" he hollered.
Silver managed to get in front of the door before Mephiles and blocked him from entering by placing his arms in front of the door frame.
Mephiles pushed against him to break through. "Let me in!"
"You're not allowed," Silver bellowed, pushing back.
Blaze stood from her seat and raised a hand. "It's okay, deputy; he can come in."
Silver looked over his shoulder at Blaze before dropping his arms and moving to the side. Mephiles brushed past the officer, glaring at him before strolling into the room. "What do you want to talk to me about, Mephiles?" Blaze oversaw the biker.
"You kick down my doors, you hurt my family, and now you lock up one of my guys for a crime he didn't do," he began.
Blaze crossed her arms over her chest and stared at the hedgehog with a deadpan expression. "Well, we'll let a jury decide on that."
"Yes, well, what you did to Knuckles and his old lady proves that you're desperate because you have nothing on us," he smirked victoriously. He moved in a little closer, trying to intimidate her. Silver watched closely just in case he needed to interfere. However, Blaze didn't even flinch at his move and instead stared back at him. Mephiles' eyelids lowered slightly. "It must kill you, doesn't it? You hate to see us roam the streets just like every Mobian citizen," he chuckled darkly.
"You make me so proud to be a Mobian," Blaze mumbled sarcastically.
Mephiles grinned before backing up and heading for the exit. "You won't take us down. I promise you that, kitten." Blaze, Silver, and Nicole watched as the eerie dark president fled down the halls with no urgency after saying his piece.
Blaze shook her head at his retreating figure. "That guy is such an arrogant creep."
"Aren't you worried about his threats?" Silver chimed in. "He just laid out that he's onto your plans."
"He's bluffing," Blaze dismissed. "He's terrified and knows that if he doesn't come up with some plan, he'll lose this time. I've got him right where I want him. It's only a matter of days." The two ladies walked out of the office, shutting the door behind them. However, unbeknownst to them, Espio un-camouflaged himself from inside the office room. He had heard everything, and now he needed to document this and keep tabs on Blaze's plans.
•~•
Two days later, a big celebration was held in the basement of the Brother's compound. The whole Brothers of Chaos plus a few members from the southside charter gathered in the basement bar area. A loud "Cheers" proclaimed in unison; the bikers clinked their beer glasses together.
Standing among the group of cheering bikers were Rouge and Knuckles, who had been surprised with a party to celebrate their fourth anniversary. The couple smiled at their fellow family and friends, appreciative of the party and support for their anniversary. "Thank you all. This truly surprised both of us," Knuckles stated as he kept an arm around Rouge's waist.
Rouge nodded, agreeing with her husband. "I still remember the day I met this knuckle-head," she reminisced, elbowing him in his side. "I couldn't stand him then, but now look at us—we've come such a long way," she laughed, causing others to laugh with her.
Mighty placed a hand on Amy's shoulder. "You gotta thank Ames on this one," the armadillo gestured. "This party was all her idea. She worked super hard last minute to get everything pulled together. We ought to give her a round of applause for this one."
Everyone clapped as they stared at Amy, the hostess who was now the center of attention. Amy smiled sheepishly as all eyes flocked to her. "Oh, it was nothing," she assured with a hand wave.
Everyone gathered around dispersed, and Amy noticed a familiar female pink echidna make her way over. "Hey there, long time no see."
"Oh, hey Julie!" Amy waved politely.
Julie leaned forward, and the two girls exchanged formal pecks on the cheeks. "So, what's new with you, girl?" she inquired curiously.
Amy placed a finger to her lips in thought, and her eyes darted back and forth. "Oh, well…" She felt a hand land on her right shoulder and a presence appeared behind her.
"-There you are," a familiar voice stated. Amy craned her neck only to see Shadow by her side. She felt the hand that was once on her shoulder slide around her back, keeping her close by his side. "I've been looking all over for you."
Julie-Su smiled as she took a sip of her drink concoction from her red cup as he noticed the way the dark hedgehog looked at her lovingly. "Okay, say no more; I can see what's new with you," she sang playfully.
Amy blushed slightly as she glanced at Shadow. "Yeah, Shadow and I are dating now."
"You two look so cute together," she noted. "It's about time you found yourself another nice girl, Shadow. I approve!" she winked.
Shadow nodded with a slight chuckle. "I appreciate that, Julie, but it's more like she found me," he countered playfully.
Julie giggled at his comment. "Well, anyway, nice party you threw together, Amy. See you two lovebirds around," Julie-Su waved before mingling further into the room.
Once she was gone, Amy looked at Shadow again. "So, why were you looking for me?"
"It's about the cake just delivered. I didn't know where you wanted to store it."
She nodded. "Oh right, Knuckles and Rouge's congratulatory cake." She began walking away from him as he watched her. "I'll deal with it. Be right back."
Meanwhile, lingering at the top of the staircase from the basement, Mephiles watched his members mingle and socialize with the other charter. However, his reptilian eyes drifted to his right when he noticed a figure smoothly leaning against the wall downstairs from the staircase with a beer in hand. It was Khan, a brown monkey part of the southside charter. He wore a red bandana around his forehead, keeping his luscious brown locks pushed back. His blue eyes didn't lock with Mephiles' but instead focused on the partygoers around them walking from room to room. Mephiles watched as Khan calmly moved away from the wall and took a few steps up the staircase to meet him partway. "So, you said you got a messy assignment to hand out?" Khan questioned quietly.
"Yes, I've heard you handle them well. Finitevus has told me in the past that you are a good applicant for these missions," Mephiles replied, keeping their conversation as discreet as possible. "However, this is just between you and me."
Khan shrugged indifferently. "Fine with me, so who's meeting their maker?"
Walking towards the staircase leading out of the basement, Amy slowed her pace when she heard two people conversing. However, she only caught the tail-end of it.
"—Good, then you'll know I need this done tonight. Quick and painless." Amy halted completely where she'd been in earshot of the two's conversation. It was clear as day. One of them was Mephiles' voice. It sounded rather serious based on the bits she heard. However, she had no idea whom he was talking to. She stayed still and continued to eavesdrop.
Khan nodded. "Sure, you've got it. Just give me the signal, and it'll be done."
Mephiles crossed his arms over his chest. "Of course."
Khan extended his hand out for Mephiles to shake on. "You've got it." Mephiles reached out, and the two shook on it.
Amy heard them making their way down to the basement in her direction. She still had no clue what this deal was about that Mephiles had just finalized, but she'd act like she hadn't heard anything. She turned in the opposite direction just when Mephiles walked down the stairs and eyed her suspiciously. "Oh, hello there, doctor," he purred coyly.
Amy froze and tried to compose herself. She slowly turned around to face him, acting oblivious. "Hey, Mephiles. Enjoying the party?" she asked casually.
He kept his hands shoved in his leather jacket pockets as he strode closer in her direction. He lowered his eyelids towards her. "It's splendid," he grinned. "You've done a wonderful job as always, Miss Rose."
"Well, gee, thanks."
Suddenly, she felt him drape his arm over her shoulder, pulling her flush against his side. "Were you by chance looking for someone just now?"
"Uh, yeah, I was looking for Shadow, actually…." she felt an uneasy shiver run down her spine. Did he know that she had overheard some of his conversations or did he suspect it? She'd have to play it cool until otherwise.
Mephiles' hand snaked down from around her shoulder and cupped her left hip. Amy squirmed at his unwanted touch. "Let's find him then. He should not leave an enticingly beautiful female alone at this party," he chuckled. The two of them wandered further back into the party together. Perhaps Mephiles hadn't realized she had eavesdropped after all.
Meanwhile, Knuckles headed into the kitchen to grab a couple of beers. He reached into the cooler and grabbed one just as he spotted his ex-flame Julie-Su standing in the kitchen doorway. "…Julie?"
She leaned her right shoulder against the doorframe. "Hey, Knux, great party," she smiled in his direction.
"Yeah, it sure is," he smiled a little uneasily. "Well, uh, I gotta get back to Rouge now," he politely excused.
He tried to move around her, but she blocked his path. "Hey, wait, are we not allowed to be in the same room anymore?"
Knuckles didn't dare even try to look her in the eye. "You saw how Rouge reacted the last time we interacted; I don't want to risk it."
"Knuckles, I would never put you in a position like that. I've moved on…I just want to be friends," she stated.
"I want to be friends too, but I don't want to cause any more drama in my relationship. Rouge doesn't like to see me around you. Knowing my past with you and all…It hurts her," he explained.
Julie looked away sadly. "That's her insecurities coming to the surface. Look, I would never do anything to jeopardize your relationship with Rouge. I wish she'd just give us a chance."
Knuckles tapped his fingers around his beer glass in thought. "Maybe if we both talked to her, we could see if something could be worked out. But I don't want to try tonight. After all, this is our night, and I don't need another fight with my old lady."
Julie-Su chuckled. "I get it. I guess I'll see you around then?"
Knuckles walked around her and back towards the dining room. "Yeah, I better get going. They're going to bring out the cake in thirty minutes, and I want to make sure—" he paused when a look of panic struck his features. Julie was quick to pick up on it.
She raised a brow at him. "What's wrong?"
Knuckles placed his beer down on the table in the dining room and began patting himself down, feeling for the pockets on his body. "Damn it…No!" he muttered.
Julie stared at him in bafflement. "Are you okay?"
"Shit!" he cursed. "I got Rouge a special anniversary gift at the jewelers, but I forgot to pick it up! I gotta get it quick!" Julie watched as he flocked for the front door, and she quickly followed after him.
"Wait," she called after him. "Is the store even still open?"
He fumbled for his car keys on the hooks by the front door. "Yeah, it's open till 8:00; it's only ten minutes away from here. I should be able to get it in time and come back."
In the other room, Mephiles overheard the entire conversation play out. He smirked deviously before sauntering off to find Khan to employ the act.
Back with Julie and Knuckles, Julie placed a hand on his wrist. "Hold on, let me go get it for you," she offered.
Knuckles shot her a bewildered look. "Huh?"
"You're clearly under enough stress. Take it easy for the rest of the night and enjoy it with Rouge. Let me go pick up her present for you."
Knuckles stared at her as he mulled over the idea. "Well…"
She extended out her open palm. "Keys, please?"
Knuckles lowered his truck car keys into her hand. "There's no way I'm letting you take my bike, so take the green pick-up truck," he instructed. "The shop is on main street and 5th. It's called Chaos Emeralds Forever." He rummaged into his pocket with the receipt. "And take this; you'll need it."
"Got it," she smiled.
He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Thank you, Jules."
She felt a faint blush across her cheeks. "No problem…"
After being reunited with Shadow in the living room, Amy sat by his side on the couch, growing more uneasy by the moment. Partygoers around them drank, smoked, or socialized in all parts of the room. Shadow glanced away from people-watching and instead focused on Amy fiddling with her fingers anxiously. She had been relatively quiet recently. "What's wrong?"
"Huh?" Amy craned her neck to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"You seem antsy," he noted with a shrug. "Something wrong?"
Amy turned slightly in her seat to face him. "Well, is there anything happening tonight with the club?" she worded carefully.
Shadow blinked a few times, clearly lost on her question. "With the club?" he repeated. "I'm not sure I follow."
She sighed. "You know, like club business?" she elaborated.
Shadow shook his head. "No, we're off duty. Tonight is all about celebration."
Amy watched as Mephiles and Khan headed towards the front door together. She still had no clue what Mephiles was up to tonight, but she knew it wasn't good. Shadow reached for one of her hands resting in her lap, brought it up towards his mouth, and kissed the back of her hand. "Why the concern anyway, princess?"
"Oh." Amy smiled at him, coming out of her paranoia. "I-I just want to spend more time with you," she shrugged bashfully. "I figured you might be whisked away again on another last-minute mission."
He shot her a charming grin and slid closer to her on the couch. "No, I'm not going anywhere tonight." He leaned down and kissed her left shoulder softly, causing her to blush. "It's just me and you tonight."
Amy looked at him lovingly as his face neared hers. "Sha-shadow…"
On the empty front porch, Khan got the down-low from Mephiles. "I overheard everything. This is your opportunity. He's heading to the jewelers on Main Street and 5th. Make it look like a drive-by, and get out of there fast. Got it?" Mephiles instructed quietly.
Khan pulled on his black fingerless leather gloves. "I got it." He reached into his pocket and put his cellphone on silent.
The two stared at Knuckle's green pick-up truck, pull out of the driveway, and headed out. "Get going," Mephiles pointed. Mephiles watched as Khan made his way down the porch's steps, tucking in the 9mm with the silencer into the back of his pants. He made sure his plain black hoodie concealed the weapon and headed for his bike. Placing the black helmet over his head, he straddled his bike, turned it on, and took off out of the compound.
A few minutes later, Khan had caught up to Knuckles' truck. The truck was making its way down a lone suburban neighborhood. Khan plotted the perfect place to take him out, keeping two cars distanced between them.
Unbeknownst to the fact that she was being stalked by one of her club members, Julie-Su drummed her fingertips along the steering wheel as she jammed out to some classic rock music while driving towards her destination.
•~•
Back at the house, Mephiles smoked a cigarette on the front porch as he waited for his plan to be completed. Tonight, he'd get rid of Knuckles, then get rid of Rouge next, but he'd have to space it out. He heard heels clicking behind him and spun around only to see the bat standing behind him. "Hey, have you seen Knuckles anywhere?"
Mephiles remained calm and blew out the smoke from the corner of his mouth. "I haven't seen him in a while," he lied. "Although, I don't see his truck. Perhaps, he went out?" he surmised coolly.
Rouge kept her hands on her hips, looking peeved at the idea of Knuckles sneaking off on such a special night. "That Knucklehead…why would he leave during his own party?"
"—I didn't leave," a voice said from behind her.
Mephiles choked out a cough, hearing his voice appear behind Rouge's back. He wheezed as he beat on his chest with a clenched fist. It was as if he had seen a ghost.
Knuckles eyed his president with concern. "Hey, you all right there, Mephiles?"
Mephiles waved an assured hand their way as he tried to stabilize himself from his coughing fit. "I-I'm fine," he continued to croak. "Damn smoke…"
Rouge turned away from looking at Mephiles hack up his lungs and back to her husband. She crossed her arms over her busty chest. "Where were you then? And why's your truck gone?"
Knuckles rubbed the back of his neck as his eyes shifted back and forth uncomfortably. "I-I was upstairs in the bathroom, you know, taking a piss."
Rouge eyed him suspiciously. "…And your truck, was it taking a piss as well?"
"Uh, I just moved it on the street for more parking," he lied. He couldn't tell Rouge that Julie-Su had borrowed his car for an errand. It only would cause unnecessary drama.
Rouge grabbed his hand, buying his lie. "Come on; we're heading inside. I've been looking for you everywhere. "Shade and Manic want to play a round of pool, and I said we'd play against them."
Knuckles followed after her as she led him back into the house. "Yes, dear."
Finally, having rid himself of his coughing spell, Mephiles fumbled for his cellphone in his jacket pocket. "If he's here…then who the hell is in his car?" he quietly questioned. He dialed Khan's phone to stop the hit.
•~•
The paid assassin rounded a corner with Khan and spotted Knuckle's truck stopped at a red light. There were no other cars on the road at this time, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. He reached behind him and grabbed his pistol before riding straight up behind Knuckle's parked car. He aimed at the back window, where he could see the silhouette of an echidna. Pulling down on the trigger, he took two shots at the back of the head of the unsuspecting echidna.
Seeing blood splatter from his hit, he heard the horn sound off from Knuckle's car. He revved his motorcycle handles and went around the side of the truck to the driver's side to see his target, only to become alarmed when he realized it was not Knuckles but, instead, Julie-Su. Julie-Su was slumped over the steering wheel with the back of her head blown to bits. Parts of her brain and skull were splattered all over the windshield, and her lifeless eyes stared back at him. He grimaced at the sight. "Aww, shit!" he cursed in anger. He quickly departed, cursing to himself along the way as he sped off down the street.
•~•
Back with Mephiles, the president paced on the front porch as he was now in the third attempt to call off the strike. "Pick up, you bastard," he mumbled in annoyance.
He felt another call trying to break through his dial tone. He looked at the caller and noticed it was Espio calling in. He hung up in his attempt to reach Khan and answered Espio's call instead. "I'm kind of busy right now," he hissed. "Can it wait?"
"It can't," Espio countered.
Mephiles growled irately. "Then what, might I ask, is so important?"
"It's about Knuckles and your lack of trust in him," he replied.
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and?"
"Agent Blaze is weaponizing mistrust in Knuckles to get you guys to retaliate and kill him. She plans to use Knuckles as bait to lure you guys out and expose your homicidal club methods," he explained.
"Wait," Mephiles appeared stunned as he absorbed the information. "…What?"
"She's been playing you guys like a puppet master for weeks, stringing her plan. I've been gathering intel for the past couple of days. I wanted to warn you if you were thinking of taking things into your own hands. Turns out Knuckles' wasn't the rat after all."
Mephiles blinked a few times. "He-he wasn't?"
"Nah, it was some chick Amadeus was having an affair with. She witnessed the whole thing from the hotel window. Agent Blaze has purposely made you guys think Knuckles was the rat to break the bonds between your club and draw in paranoia and mistrust…."
"Shit…" Mephiles closed his eyes and bowed his head. "Thank you for informing me of this. I appreciate it." With that said, he hung up.
Just then, Finitevus walked out onto the front porch. "Have you by chance seen Julie-Su? I can't seem to locate her anywhere."
Mephiles glanced to the parking lot where Knuckle's truck was once parked as sudden realization sunk in. Julie-Su had taken his car, hadn't she? He turned to look back at the other president of the southside charter. His stomach dropped. "No…I haven't, I'm afraid," he lied.
Suddenly, Mighty came rushing out onto the front porch with the house phone in hand. His expression appeared grave. "Guys, Deputy Silver just called. He needs to meet us in town."
Finitevus looked concerned. "What's happened?"
"…There's been an accident. He believes the body belongs to one of our own," he answered.
•~•
Most of the club rolled out to the crime scene several minutes later. Mephiles, Mighty, Shadow, Knuckles, Finitevus, and Khan parked their bikes on the street side. The group could see a sectioned-off part of the street with caution tape and a body with a sheet draped over it. There was an ambulance nearby and plenty of police officers taking notes of the murder. Knuckle's parked green truck had the back window shattered to pieces. Both Detective Vector and Espio stood at the crime scene, jotting down notes as they spoke to a citizen who had found the state of the crime scene. Nearby the ambulance, Officer Silver talked to one of the paramedics before noticing the herd of bikers heading towards the sectioned-off crime scene.
He excused himself from his conversation and approached the tape. "Boys."
Knuckles gripped the tape as he anxiously tried to squint and look for Julie-Su. They hadn't explained much but told the group to arrive.
"Is s-she okay? Where is she?" Knuckles anxiously questioned. "Is she in the ambulance?"
Silver stared at Knuckles in surprise. "You know her then?"
"Yeah, she's my ex," he explained. "Now, where is she?" He tried to move past the tape, but Silver placed a firm hand on his chest, stopping him.
"Hey, you don't want to do that," he warned.
"Why not?" he shouted.
Silver frowned sadly. "She's gone, Knuckles..."
Knuckles stared at the officer in disbelief. "…What?"
"She was killed on sight," he elaborated. "This was a hit and run. Someone drove up behind her while she was driving and shot her."
Knuckles noticed two officers standing near something on the ground with a tarp draped over it—a body. He instantly crumbled to his knees, and he began sobbing. Tears flooded down his cheeks. "…Julie," he wept. "Fuck…"
Both Mighty and Manic knelt to his level and patted him on the shoulders, trying to console his grieving.
Finitevus placed a hand to his mouth as he absorbed those words. He felt a whirlwind of emotions as he processed the death of one of his working girls and dear friends. "Julie…" he breathed.
In the background, both Khan and Mephiles carefully eyed each other in silence. Shadow felt his heart sink at the news. It brought on a bit of PTSD as a moment of Maria's murder flashed before his mind. Similarly, he watched as a sheet covered Maria's body at the crime scene. Shadow felt his fists tighten as he pushed those memories aside. Tonight Knuckles needed him, so he walked over to the white hedgehog officer. "What do we know so far? Any sightings on who did this?"
Silver crossed his arms over his chest. "Nothing so far, I'm afraid," he answered sadly. "Whoever did this must have had something against this girl based on the brutality," Silver surmised.
Baring his teeth in anger at the idea, Finitevus strode towards the yellow tape. "That's bullshit!" he spat. "Julie-Su was an escort and a mighty good one at that. She had no enemies!" he declared positively.
Silver pulled out his notepad and a pen. "You sure she didn't have any clients that may have had a bad experience, animosity, or just, in general, act questionably towards her?" he questioned.
Finitevus shook his head. "I'm positive. Everyone loved Julie-Su," he continued. "No one wanted to harm her. The clients we allowed were always cleared."
Shadow watched as Silver jotted down those notes. "Interesting, well, I noticed she was driving Knuckle's vehicle. Is there a possibility this was a mistake and whoever killed Julie believed it to be Knuckles instead?" he theorized.
Shadow mulled over the idea for a moment before glancing over to his brother, who was now in the process of having a side conversation with Khan, another member of the Southside charter.
At that same time, Mephiles was busy talking to Khan in the background with all the chaos. "Why didn't you answer?" he whispered harshly, ensuring no one else was eavesdropping on them.
"My phone was on silent," Khan replied quietly.
Mephiles narrowed his eyes at him and crossed his arms over his chest. "How could you fuck up like this?"
"How was I supposed to know she'd volunteer to do his errand and take his car?" he countered in annoyance quietly.
Mephiles shook his head and sighed. "Tonight was an absolute tragedy."
"You know we can't let anyone know of this because if you try to scapegoat this shit on me, I'm dragging you down too, old man," Khan warned.
Mephiles eyed the monkey in anger. "Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm protecting us," he replied. "I know what Finitevus will do to me, and I know what Shadow and the others will do to you if they find out."
Mephiles growled lowly. Khan was right, after all. If this got out, both would be stripped of their tribal ink, ex-communicated, and possibly killed for their wrongdoings. Mephiles could not risk losing all that power. Another black car rounded the corner and pulled up to the crime scene. The car doors opened, and both Agent Blaze and her assistant Nicole stepped out of the vehicle. They noticed the silver hedgehog making his way toward them as they got out of the car. "I told you this shit would go badly," Silver seethed towards the feline before storming away from her.
Blaze kept a neutral expression before glancing over to Knuckles, who was on his hands and knees, feeling devastated at the loss of Julie-Su. Nicole frowned at the sight. "An innocent girl is dead…."
Blaze exhaled a sigh and shook her head. "This wasn't how it was supposed to happen…."
Espio watched Agent Blaze as she and her assistant approached another officer to get more details. His eyesight then shifted to Mephiles across the street as the president walked over to his parked bike. Mephiles glanced up at one point and stared across the street, locking eyes with the purple chameleon. The two of them stared down at each other before Mephiles eventually pried his eyes away.
Espio knew this was Mephiles' doing, and now he just had to figure out what to do with this information. Regardless, he was extremely disappointed with his associate.
•~•
Later that night, the group returned home, and Shadow found Amy in the basement trying to clean up independently. He watched as she picked up paper plates, red plastic cups, and beer bottles and discarded them into a black bag. She looked eager to hear what had happened to cause the party to halt completely. She released the hold of the garbage bag, set it aside, and dusted off her hands. Shadow slowly approached one of the couches, looking grave in expression. Amy watched in curiosity as he slowly sunk onto the couch and placed his face in his hands in anguish. "Shadow, what happened?" Amy gently placed a hand on his shoulder and sat down beside him when he didn't respond. He looked like he was in a fragile state. "…Shadow?"
He lifted his face from his hands and turned to look at her. "Someone murdered Julie-Su tonight," he replied sadly.
"What?" Amy placed a hand to her mouth and gasped. "Oh my..." She leaned in to give him a hug which he returned. "Do they know who did it?"
Shadow shook his head, resting his muzzle on her left shoulder. "They don't know enough information yet," he replied.
Amy bowed her head sadly. "This is horrible…I didn't know her that well, but she didn't deserve this. Why would someone do this?"
"I'm not sure…." He patted one of her hands on her lap and then helped lift her to her feet. "Don't bother continuing to clean up. We can finish this in the morning." He took her hands in his. "And Amy, I need you tonight…" One of his thumbs stroked the top of her hand.
She looked down at his hands in hers before looking back at his broken expression—knowing exactly what he meant. "...This brought up bad memories for you, huh?" she suspected.
He nodded. She took her hands away from his and instead embraced him again. Shadow felt comfort in her arms as he rested his chin against her shoulder. Amy rubbed his back reassuringly and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I'll take care of you, I promise," she whispered.